Ad Astra
by Lady-Arrowwood
Summary: AU. Even at her cruelest, the Black Rose Witch could never hurt a child- especially one whose eyes shined with hope and starlight. Young!Yusei
1. Lonely Witch

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I wouldn't be this poor. Just sayin'.**

* * *

><p>Aki, the Black Rose Witch, surveyed her surroundings. It was quiet, the duel fields having been abandoned for the night. Her cloak swished around her ankles as she walked, paced, nervously moved over the ground. The pent-up energy inside her was suffocating; she wanted to fight, to destroy. The energy inside her thrummed against her skin, rushed through her blood, demanding to be released. Aki heard a very soft noise. She whirled around, and the energy swirling inside her slammed to a halt. It was a kid. A very young kid, too young to be out alone at nearly one o'clock in the morning.<p>

He stopped a few feet away from her and tilted his head slightly to the side, gazing at her inquisitively with large, dark eyes; it was too dark, and he stood to far away for Aki to determine their color. "Are you the Black Rose Witch?" he asked.

Aki inclined her head slightly. The kid nodded in return. "I wanted to challenge you," he said, "But I don't have a duel disk."

"I don't take challenges from children," said Aki.

Even at her cruelest, Aki had no desire to hurt a child like she'd been hurt. No one ought to suffer that. The nervous energy inside her died down. "What is your name?" asked the boy.

"The Black Rose Witch. You just said it."

"But that can't be your real name!" he protested. "That's…that's like a title!"

Aki stared at the child for a long moment. "Go home," she said.

"I can't," he said. "I want to…I want to help you."

"Help me?" asked Aki, laughing harshly. "What makes you think I _need _help?"

"You hurt people. Why do you do that?"

"Some people are just cruel, kid."

"But you haven't hurt me!" he protested. "So…there must be something…I thought that maybe…maybe someone hurt you. You look hurt."

"What?"

"Your eyes," he said. "I can see pain in your eyes. The mask is trying to cover that up, isn't it?"

Aki stared at the strange child who stared at her with those horrible eyes that seemed to see more than they should. The kid stepped closer, and Aki could see that his eyes were a midnight blue, and when the light reflected in them, all Aki could think of was the sky and starlight. She crouched before the kid, fascinated by those eyes and by him. "How old are you?" she muttered.

"Six."

"Six years old," said Aki, laughing sincerely for the first time in months. "And how do you think you could help me, little one?"

He scrunched up his face, probably as a response to being called 'little' and said, "I'll be your friend. Then, you won't be alone; you won't have to hurt people."

Aki really hated to crush such naïve optimism. She smiled almost tenderly and raised a hand to stroke his dark, disheveled hair. Pain shot through her arm, and Aki bent over, hissing and clutching the offending limb. The kid yelped, and Aki raised her head to see a bright scarlet mark across his forearm. "What is it?" he asked, more awe in his voice than fear.

"A curse," said Aki. "It means you have powers."

He turned his attention to her, eyes focusing on her arm. "I'm like you," he murmured.

The pain faded, and Aki swallowed thickly. She felt the power thrumming again beneath her skin, the searing fire and anger. She held it back, though, because when she looked at him, she remembered herself. She remembered being branded a monster by her parents. It wasn't his fault he was cursed. It hadn't been her fault. Aki took a deep breath and stroked his cheek. He stiffened at her touch. The mark remained emblazoned on his arm, as it was on Aki's, but there wasn't a painful jolt when she touched him. "It's okay, little one," Aki crooned. "It's okay."

"Am I…am I going to…to hurt people?" he whispered, rubbing his arm.

Aki shook her head. "No, sweetheart, of course not," she said, overcome by half-forgotten compassion.

The next words were hard to force out. Admitting that he wasn't a monster meant admitting that she wasn't one, either. How could he be, though? He was an innocent, little kid. "You…you're just special," said Aki. "I…I can help you. We can help each other. You can be my companion."

Companion. It sounded better than 'friend' because it's impossible for the Black Rose Witch to have friends. Companion sounded more reasonable, more accurate, because there's no way the kid before her would ever feel anything deeper than a fascination and maybe a sense of duty towards her. Nothing like loyalty or trust, or any of the things true friends were supposed to feel.

"Okay," he said. "I'll go with you."

Aki smiled, though he couldn't see it. Maybe her heart defrosted just a little. No one had ever offered to go with her before, knowing what she could do. "Aki," she said impulsively. "That's my name."

"Yusei," he replied.

Aki nearly laughed. Yusei. Wandering Star. Hadn't she just thought his eyes reminded her of starlight? "That's a lovely name," she finally said.

"Aki is really pretty, too," he replied.

"No one's ever told me that before."

"Am I allowed to call you that?" asked Yusei.

"If you like."

Yusei smiled brilliantly at her, and Aki couldn't refrain from smiling. He really was an adorable kid, and she'd just agreed to take him as a companion, which she admitted, actually _would _sound awkward out of context. Maybe friend was the better term, even if little Yusei would never see her that way. Maybe they really could help each other, though. For the first time in so very long, Aki felt hopeful.

She took a deep breath and laid aside her mask. "You're beautiful," Yusei said.

Aki smiled. The compliment meant so much, even coming from an innocent, albeit cursed six-year-old. "Come on, little wandering star," said Aki, taking his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"To find somewhere to call home."

"Okay."

They walked away, and Aki's mask lay behind, forgotten on the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>It's as sweet as diabetes, isn't it? Anyway, I read a lot of Fanfiction, and I mean, a _lot_, and I came across this cute fic (which I'll link to when I find it again) where Aki was a little girl, and Yusei was a teenager. Afterwards, I decided, hey, I'll flip that around. And besides, as far as anime kids go, Yusei _was _pretty adorable.


	2. Divine Intervention

**Disclaimer: Alas, I still do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's.**

* * *

><p>Aki frowned at the stolen duel disk she'd slipped on her arm. It didn't fit quite right, and its weight was all wrong. It also wasn't rose-colored like hers had been, but since her auto shuffle had malfunctioned, and Aki knew nothing about repairing that, she'd been forced to settle. Namely, she'd stolen a duel disk. She told Yusei she'd won it because the last thing she wanted Yusei to do was learn that it was acceptable to steal.<p>

Aki wasn't entirely sure why she felt the need to shield him from such things. He was from Satellite, which by Neo Domino standards, immediately gave him the status of scum. Depending on how promiscuous he grew up to be, he might eventually be dubbed a 'Satellite slut', too. Neither slur was something Aki wanted associated with _her _Yusei, and it hadn't taken her long to decide that it was her responsibility to make sure Yusei grew up with some sort of moral standards, though she herself wasn't exactly Joan of Arc.

Aki's powers didn't bother her nearly as badly as they had before she'd met Yusei. Sometimes, she could control them; sometimes, she couldn't. It was easiest when Yusei was around, which Aki was forced to admit was just _embarrassing_. She didn't want to see her young companion afraid of her, and for once, her powers seemed to understand.

It was the times when Yusei wasn't present that Aki hurt people. She didn't tell him that; she let the child believe that Aki had completely changed and was in complete control. He was a child, and children were supposed to be cherished and protected. With a twinge of guilt, Aki thought that she wasn't fit for that role in Yusei's life. She hurt people, and when she was brutally honest, she enjoyed that. _I'm corrupting him, _she thought bitterly, kicking a rock at her feet and glowering at it, as if its mere existence had offended her.

_I'm becoming too attached. This can't be good for him._

She wished he hadn't told her his name. When Aki was very little, she'd found a stray cat. Her parents had indulged their little daughter, letting Aki stick up flyers to find the animal's owner. The one thing her father said was that she couldn't name it. If you named something, it became that much harder to let go. As much as Aki despised that man, he was right. Aki could've had easily disposable Satellite trash, and instead she had Yusei, her little wandering star. Her Satellite brat with stardust eyes, and the thought of truly losing the one other person who bore her cursed mark made her stomach clench.

Aki slipped into their hideout, a spacious, empty building. It was the sort of building that would be condemned in Neo Domino. The windows were mostly broken, and she'd tacked sheets over them in a futile attempt to keep out some of the chill. Yusei sat on the floor, Aki's favorite duel disk nearby. A very small fire burned a few feet away from him. He raised his head at her entrance, blue eyes bright with excitement. "Aki!"

"I'm sorry I took so long," said Aki, smiling gently, her worries and fears melting away like snow in the sunlight.

"That's okay. I had time to fix your duel disk."

Aki raised an eyebrow. "You fixed my duel disk?" she asked, unsure what he meant. There was no way he could actually have fixed it.

Yusei placed her duel disk on his arm. "Shuffle deck," he said.

Yusei's cards were immediately shuffled, and Aki gawked at him, amazed when they didn't fly across the room. "How did you do that?" she asked.

Yusei shrugged. "I just kept trying until something worked."

Aki had spent days trying to fix that and failed. Yusei had done it in four hours, and he was ten years younger than she was. "You're brilliant, Yusei," she said.

It was a pity that such brilliance would be wasted in Satellite. If he could repair duel disks at age six, how smart would he be when he was her age? "I owe you one, Yusei," she said, smiling and ruffling his hair.

He scowled, but Aki knew him well enough to know he was pleased by the praise. "So you can have this one," said Aki.

"Really?" Yusei asked, his eyes wide as he gazed at Aki's stolen duel disk.

"Sure."

"Can we duel?"

Aki laughed. "Later, Yusei. You have to be starving. I have biscuits."

Biscuits weren't really the sort of fare Aki was used to, but food in Satellite was surprisingly hard to find, even if you were a psychic duelist who could win and steal money with relative ease. Aki had, at first, felt pathetic when she'd first found food for her and Yusei. "It's not much," she'd rambled. "I'm so, so sorry, Yusei."

He'd stared at her impassively before saying, very quietly, "I don't understand."

"I wish it was more," Aki had explained.

"Why? It's more than I usually eat," he'd replied.

Aki had stared at him with a sort of horrified fascination. Then, it'd suddenly become hard to breathe around the lump in her throat. No wonder Yusei was so small; he was probably malnourished.

It really frightened Aki that Yusei considered so little food to be more than enough for him. He grinned at her, shaking Aki from her thoughts. "You really are a clever child," she said. "Do you know that?"

He looked at his hands and blushed. Smiling, Aki opened the paper bag and grabbed a biscuit. "They're actually not too bad," she said, taking a bite.

Yusei needed no further encouragement to eat, and before long, the four biscuits were split between them and quickly eaten. "They were good," Yusei said after a pause, "Much better than anything my friends or me could make."

"Friends?" asked Aki. "Where are they?"

If Yusei had friends, why would he be wandering around Satellite alone and talking to dangerous witches? He sighed and bit his lip, looking nervous for the first time since Aki had met him. "Well, they were my friends," he said. "I sort of…I sorta messed everything up."

"How?"

"They got into some sort of fight over me," said Yusei, his expression quickly becoming an emotionless mask. Had his voice not suddenly become colder than any six-year-old's should be, Aki might've laughed at how serious he looked. "I left because I didn't want them to fight anymore."

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have done that; they're probably worried."

"Yeah, I know, but they'll move on. I really just got in the way."

Aki felt a twinge of guilt; part of her hoped they never met Yusei's friends because he'd surely choose them over her. "But that's okay," he added. "I have you."

Yusei smiled brightly, and Aki felt her expression soften, unable to keep from returning his smile. He had that affect on her—one smile, and Aki almost always caved. "And…" Yusei's words trailed off as he rubbed a hand absentmindedly across the mark on his arm. "C-can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Can I see Black Rose? On your duel disk?"

Aki blinked slowly. "You want me to use my powers and summon Black Rose."

"You can make them real; that's…that's really cool. I want to see. Can I?"

Aki hesitated. "I don't know, Yusei."

"Please?"

Aki looked into those imploring blue eyes. "I know you won't hurt me," said Yusei.

"Of course not," replied Aki.

The girl stared at her deck and her duel disk. _What am I so afraid of? It's not like I'm dueling him, and I'm not upset or anything. Black Rose won't hurt him._

Aki searched through her deck and found the requested card. She hesitated. _What if I can't do this?_

"Aki, you won't hurt me," said Yusei.

"You're so naïve," muttered Aki.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay, Yusei. Watch this. Black Rose Dragon!"

She placed the card on her duel disk with much more flourish than was necessary, and in a flash of light, her lovely dragon appeared. Her crimson eyes focused on her mistress and the child beside her. "Wow," whispered Yusei. "She's amazing."

No one had ever referred to Aki's powers as 'amazing' before. She felt oddly giddy at his words. "Can…can I touch her?" asked Yusei.

"Sure," replied Aki. "She won't hurt you."

Yusei fearlessly walked forward. The dragon turned her gaze towards him and lowered her head. Aki watched Yusei's small hand brush against the dragon's neck. "She is real…" he murmured.

Well, she sort of was. Aki didn't bother to explain to Yusei that Black Rose wasn't _quite _as real as he thought but more a manifestation of energy. What did it matter, though? Her little wandering star was happy; it wouldn't hurt for him to think her dragon was real. "It's funny," said Yusei, "But I have the same mark as you, and I can't do this."

"Really?" asked Aki. "Maybe…maybe you just haven't developed those powers yet?"

Yusei shrugged. "Aki, do you hear—"

There was applause.

Aki whirled around and saw a silhouette of a man. "Yusei, stay behind me," she murmured.

"Brilliant," said the man as he walked closer. "Absolutely stunning, Black Rose Witch. I rarely see people with gifts such as yours."

"Who are you?" asked Aki.

Black Rose adjusted her position, and her mistress knew the dragon had moved to a position to better protect the child behind her. After all, Yusei was much worthier of being protected than Aki. "I am Divine," said the man.

"That's a little arrogant of you, isn't it?" asked Aki.

The man laughed quietly. "But I am, you see. I'm like you; I have powers, too. We're special."

"What do you want?" asked Aki.

"To offer you a home. I run a school in Neo Domino for people who are gifted like us."

"And how do I know I can trust you?" asked Aki.

The man smiled softly. "My dear child, I only want to help. One like you should be accepted for your gifts."

"There _are _people that accept me and my gifts."

Divine raised an eyebrow, his eyes landing behind Aki. "Ah. And are you gifted, too, little one?" he asked.

"Yes," said Yusei.

"I see. It's a pity you're both in Satellite. Is he your son?" asked Divine.

"My friend," replied Aki, narrowing her eyes.

Black Rose growled threateningly. "It's a pity for any child to be raised here, isn't it?" asked Divine.

Aki swallowed thickly. He was right. _This is a trick. He's using Yusei to get to me, and it's not going to work._

"So you're taking care of him," said Divine. "How is that working out for you? Neither of you look like you've been eating enough."

"Perhaps, in Neo Domino people simply eat too much," replied Aki.

"Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" asked Divine. "You're not from Satellite."

"You _aren't_?" Yusei asked.

Aki glanced behind her and shook her head. "I'm not, so Divine, how do _you _know that?"

He waved a hand dismissively and winked. "Psychic, remember?"

"Yeah, sure," Aki said.

"Aki," Divine continued, "I only want to give you a place where you'll be respected and your powers can become all that they can be."

"No thanks. I was never that interested in being Harry Potter."

"Don't you think you're being selfish, Aki? What about you, Yusei? Wouldn't you like to live in Neo Domino?"

Aki nearly growled at him. How _dare _he try to involve a child in this? "I want to be wherever Aki is," Yusei said. "She's my friend."

"How noble," murmured Divine.

Aki looked at Yusei over her shoulder, her gaze softening. It was noble. _Yusei _was noble, and her little wandering star did deserve a better hand than the one fate had given him. Aki wouldn't admit aloud that the strange man had valid points, though, not yet. "I…I'll think about your offer," said Aki.

"Of course. I'll come by in a month for your answer," replied Divine. "It was a pleasure meeting you and your friend, Black Rose Witch."

The man turned abruptly and walked away. "What do you think of him?" Aki murmured to Yusei.

The child hesitated. "There's something…odd about him," Yusei finally offered.

"Yeah," replied Aki, "But he was dressed nice; he probably does have a nice place to live."

"Are you really thinking about going with him?"

Aki smiled. "Maybe. Not without you, though."

Yusei grinned at her, and Aki felt another pang of guilt. _No, _she thought. _No child should be raised like this._

* * *

><p>Aki couldn't sleep, so she lay awake and stared at the moon. Divine had offered her a home, a real home. A home with people like her and Yusei. People who were special. Aki was grateful for Yusei, but he <em>was <em>just six years old. He couldn't possibly comprehend the full meaning of her powers. Someone her own age could. Aki let out a soft sigh.

Yusei had woken and sat down beside her. Aki offered him a small smile. "Couldn't sleep?" she inquired.

"Neither could you."

"I'm just thinking. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"No?" he asked. "Are you thinking about what that man said?"

"How did you know that?"

"I'm psychic," he mocked, winking at Aki.

"Better be careful, Yusei. That sarcasm will get you in trouble one day."

He smiled insolently, and Aki smirked in return. "But you were thinking about him," Yusei insisted.

"I was."

"And what do you think?"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out."

"Mm. I know."

Yusei returned to his place on the floor, where he'd bundled up inside Aki's cloak. _I'll figure it out later, _thought Aki as she stifled a yawn.

She was tired, and besides, she knew that if she didn't sleep, neither would her little wandering star. _You seem so old for your age, Yusei. Some day I'll figure out why._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Astonishingly…I managed to create a plot with this one. It's probably going to vaguely follow the plot of 5d's, but with the differences since Yusei's a little kid. But we'll see. Oh! Before I forget, the fic I mentioned reading was _Reach for the Light _by AnimeMinion. It's on , so a quick search pulls it up pretty easily.

Of course, plot means it probably won't be absolutely adorable at every turn, but I think I can manage to find the balance. So we'll see, right?

Now onward to the reviews.

**Rapis-Razuri**: Thanks a bunch for the review! :)

**BrunaMoonLight: **Well, there now _is _a continuation. I'm not sure if it's going to be precisely what you wanted, but I do hope it meets your expectations.

**TheRoseShadow21: **Well, it's a multichapter fic. I really didn't expect it to be, but sometimes, that's just how things work, I suppose.

**xShiroi-chan: **Wow. I'm honored! Thanks so much for the review! As for borrowing an idea, I don't mind. Honestly, I'm more than happy to share ideas. If you ever go through with your AU writing idea, I'd love to read it. I'm sure it'd be great.

**XxUchihaCherryBlossomxX: **It's in the author's notes. ;)


	3. Snow Cream

**Disclaimer: I doth not have the rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh.**

* * *

><p>"It doesn't taste very good," said Yusei, wrinkling his nose.<p>

Aki frowned as she sat beside him, tentatively poking at the concoction in a battered, porcelain bowl with a spoon. "I think it needs more milk," she said.

Aki retrieved the carton sitting nearby and poured some more into the bowl, to hopefully make something more resembling 'snow cream'. Aki had eaten snow cream exactly once in her life; Yusei never had. Since it was freezing and snowing, neither Yusei nor Aki wanted to stray far from the blazing fire. The problem with Yusei, though, was that like most six-year-olds, he wasn't content with simply sitting around and talking all day.

Aki stirred it up again, and the texture looked a little better. "I'll try adding some more sugar," she said. "We've got about a cup left."

Yusei's eyes lit up at that particular statement, and Aki smiled wryly. "I take it you like sugar."

He nodded eagerly. Aki chuckled and continued stirring. She paused and frowned. "I think I'm supposed to put some sort of extract in it."

"Extract?"

"It's a flavor—like vanilla or almond."

"Oh, we don't have any of that, do we?"

"No," said Aki.

Yusei dipped his spoon in the bowl and scooped up some of it to eat. "Mm. That's much better," he said.

"Good. Now we let it sit by the fire for a little bit. After the snow melts some, it'll taste a lot like ice cream."

"I've never had ice cream before."

"You'll like it," said Aki. "I've never met anyone who didn't like ice cream."

"Hm."

Aki set the bowl aside and smiled, at a loss of what to do while they waited. "You're from the City, right?" asked Yusei.

Aki blinked in surprise. "Yeah. Why?"

"How did you get over here? Why did you come over here?"

Aki frowned. "Well, I got over here on Black Rose; I flew. As to why I came…well, it'll sound strange, but I had a dream. It wasn't really an ordinary dream, though; it's the sort of dream that you have, and you know you have to do _something_. I sound crazy, don't I?"

"No, but I don't really get what you're saying."

"I don't really get it either," said Aki, rubbing her forearm, "But it worked out. I met you, after all, didn't I?"

"Yeah!"

Aki smiled and ruffled his hair. "What do you think about having a snowball fight, Yusei?"

He jumped to his feet immediately. "You're on!"

* * *

><p><em>Crow was always bringing home strays. At first, it was fairly harmless, and Jack and Kiryu teased him mercilessly for bringing home a half-starved bird with an injured wing. They'd dubbed him 'Mommy Crow' for weeks. The bird flew off, and Crow found a cat. The cat disappeared one day, so Crow found another. And another. He was forever bringing strays home to the base of Team Satisfaction. Kiryu was finally annoyed by it and demanded Crow stop bringing them in.<em>

"_Why?" Crow asked. "They keep mice away! At least, the cats do!"_

"_They're whiny, and I'm tired of feeding your stray pets! I'm serious: no birds, cats, dogs, snakes, frogs, or whatever other animal you might find!"_

_Reluctantly, Crow stopped bringing strays home. Well, for a while, anyway. Instead, he brought something else entirely. Crow stood at the doorway to the base one evening, smiling, and Jack, who was leaning against the wall and absentmindedly watching Kiryu, knew that something—probably very bad—was coming. "Crow," Kiryu said slowly, glancing up from where he was looking through his deck. "What have you done?"_

"_About that…so don't be mad."_

_Nothing good ever came after Crow muttered the words 'don't be mad'. "Why do I think that I'm about to be very, _very _mad, Crow?" asked Kiryu. "What have you done?"_

_The half-open door behind Crow opened more, and bright blue eyes peered from behind the redhead. "A kid? Seriously?" Kiryu asked. "You brought home a _kid_!"_

"_Hey," said Crow, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's what a baby goat is called, isn't it? A kid? Haha."_

_Kiryu growled and spun around on the crate he'd been sitting on. "Take him back. We don't need a kid running around. We're trying to conquer Satellite—"_

"_To make it safe, right?" interrupted Crow. "What place would be safer for him than here?"_

"_Why don't you just take him to Martha's?" asked Jack. "She'd take him in."_

"_Well, yeah, but…" Crow looked slightly sheepish. "Do you feel like facing her yet?"_

_Jack rolled his eyes, but he understood what the younger teen meant. "Besides, I kind of want to keep him," said Crow, his eyes straying to the child behind him. _

"_Where are his parents?" asked Kiryu._

"_Sleeping!" the kid chirped happily._

"_Sleeping?" echoed Jack, beginning to get an uneasy feeling in his stomach._

_He met Crow's grey eyes and knew 'sleeping' translated to 'dead'. "I found him there," said Crow haltingly. "I, um, grabbed a couple things…I mean, there's more if you want to go back later—useful stuff. We could use it."_

"_Like Stardust!" the kid exclaimed, smiling brightly. "He has Stardust, right, Crow?"_

"_Stardust?" echoed Kiryu._

_The kid nodded. "It's a card," said Crow, smiling at the child with obvious fondness. "His dad's, I think. Or his."_

"_Mine," the kid said._

_Crow shrugged. "I guess his dad was building him a deck."_

_That wasn't too odd; parents did that for their children all the time, at least as far as Jack had heard. He'd never known his parents, but according to Kiryu, his had begun building him a deck about a week after he was born. That'd been the only time Kiryu mentioned his parents. "So…" Kiryu trailed off, seeming uncertain. "You really want to keep this kid, Crow? He's just another mouth to feed."_

"_We can't just leave him to wander around on his own!"_

"_No," Kiryu agreed, "But he's not our kid; it's not our job to take care of him."_

_Crow's grey eyes flickered to Jack, imploring him for help. Jack sighed. "Just let him keep the damn kid. It's not like he'll eat that much."_

"_Majority rules!" Crow declared. "Welcome to the team, Yusei!"_

_Jack glanced toward Kiryu, who looked irritated he'd been outvoted. "You two always gang up on me," he muttered._

* * *

><p>"Director Godwin, I have some of the data you requested."<p>

Director Godwin's grey eyes remained fixed on Neo Domino City and the fantastic view offered by his office's large, glass windows. The Director glanced briefly to the reflection of the clown-like man behind him. "Some of it, Yeager?" the Director inquired.

"Yes. There were some difficulties."

"What do you mean?"

"The data is incomplete. I looked through the data logs, and at first glace, the only cards to come up were Black Rose Dragon and Ancient Fairy Dragon. I dug a little deeper, and it appears that we're dealing with some unregistered disks."

"Unregistered?"

"Yes. I'm assuming they're homemade-probably from Satellite. Anyway, it interferes with the data, and it's impossible to identify an owner."

"Hm. Then, tell me what you _did _find."

Yeager nodded and opened a laptop, placing it on the desk behind him. Godwin turned around, arms crossed, and waited. Yeager pressed a button. "First. Black Rose Dragon was the most recent. It was played at nine o'clock yesterday in the Satellite. It was played in a duel against an unregistered duelist. It has been played several times by a sixteen-year-old girl named Aki Izayoi."

"Izayoi?"

Yeager nodded and pressed a button, causing a holographic image of a young, red-haired girl to appear. "Yes, the senator's daughter. She's a registered psychic duelist."

"Interesting. Continue."

"Ancient Fairy Dragon belongs to a native of the Tops, a twelve-year-old named Ruka."

Aki's image was replaced with one of a young, blue-haired girl. "The card was last played a week ago," continued Yeager.

Godwin nodded. "Red Demons Dragon," said Yeager, "Was last played yesterday, at three-thirty in the afternoon. That was during a duel, and one duelist was unregistered. The other one was registered to an old colleague of yours, Professor Fudo. However, I reviewed the camera function, and the duelist who summoned Red Demons Dragon doesn't match its owner's profile."

"Someone is using his duel disk, then," said Godwin.

"I believe so. I managed to do some searching, though, and identify the duelist. His name is Jack Atlas, a native of Satellite. I found a picture of him in some old files from old D-Wheel recordings."

Rua's image was replaced with a blonde man with violet eyes. Godwin's eyes trailed down to the red mark emblazoned on the man's forearm. "A Signer, yes?" asked Yeager.

"Indeed," Godwin replied. "Can we find him?"

"I have tech support working on it."

"Very good. What news do you have of Stardust Dragon?"

Yeager sighed. "It's not good. The last registered play is over seventeen years ago on Fudo's duel disk. Then, the card doesn't appear until thirteen years later, and it was played by an unregistered duelist in a duel. After that, it's played several times, by unregistered duelists. The problem is that while even unregistered disks have their unique signature, Stardust is used by at least six different duel disks."

"And its most recent play?"

"I can't tell. Any data concerning Stardust Dragon cuts off at exactly a year ago. Its last play was on an unregistered duel disk, but that's the best we can find. It never appears again."

Godwin frowned. "This will be difficult, then."

"Perhaps. It's possible, though, that Jack Atlas knows something about it. Professor Fudo was the last registered duelist to play it."

"You're quite right; let's invite Jack Atlas to the city, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Divine's office was large and contained a desk and three chairs, but upon entering the office, no one ever noticed that. No, any visitor to Divine's office had his or her eyes drawn to the glass cases lining the walls. The cases were filled with colorful butterflies of all shapes and sizes, beautiful even though they were dead. Beneath every one was written the species. Divine had those cases hung the moment he chose the office for himself, though he never told anyone the reason.<p>

As it was, the head of the Arcadia Movement sat behind his desk, watching footage from Aki Izayoi's most recent duel. There was a knock at the door, and Divine's blonde-haired secretary opened the door. "Master Divine, Miss Ruka is here."

"Send her in, please."

The small, blue-haired girl stepped timidly inside and gazed up at Divine with wide, grey eyes. A boy came behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Ah. Twins," said Divine. "Ruka, a pleasure to see you again. And your brother...?"

"Rua," the boy provided.

"Lovely. Have a seat," said Divine, gesturing to the seats across from him.

The twins sat, Ruka glancing up timidly. Divine noted that her eyes lingered on the butterflies, as her gaze was slightly over his right shoulder. "How can I help you, my dear?" Divine asked.

"I want to join the Movement," said Ruka. "You say you can help me."

Divine's gaze softened. "Ruka...I thought you didn't wish to join Arcadia. Did something happen?"

The girl bit her lip. "I...the Duel Spirits...I can't control them. I...they've become violent. One of them attacked Rua."

The girl looked near tears, so Divine offered her a tissue. "It's okay, Ruka!" her brother exclaimed. "It didn't really hurt!"

She shook her head quickly. "It doesn't matter," she mumbled, wiping tears from her eyes. "What if...what if something worse happens? I'm scared."

"Don't be, sweetheart," said Divine. "I can teach you to control your wonderful gifts."

"I...I have a request," said Ruka. "I want Rua to be a member, too."

"Certainly, sweetheart. The Arcadia family is always happy to accept members. Everything will be just fine."

Ruka smiled weakly. "Thank you, Divine," she said.

"You're welcome, Ruka. You and your brother are welcome to live here if you'd like. Of course, you're welcome to continue living at your house, but since you are having difficulties controlling your powers, I do recommend you stay here at least a few nights a week."

"Thank you," said Ruka, standing.

"Yes, thank you," added Rua, standing also.

"No need to thank me," said Divine. "Just give me a call when you decide where you're staying."

Ruka nodded and turned toward the door. Her brother cast her a concerned glance before hurrying after her. Divine smiled slightly as the door closed behind them. He casually cast his gaze towards the floor-length windows on the opposite side of the room. The garden was dead and decaying, but when winter gave way to spring, it offered a lovely view.

The man tapped his fingers along his desk and gazed upwards at the ceiling. _I need to do something about their parents. Hm._

Divine's eyes trailed to the screen of his computer, where Aki smiled triumphantly as her Black Rose Dragon roared behind her. The mark on her arm glowed. Divine's eyes narrowed. _I still don't know what that is, _he thought. _I'll have to look into it, though. If everyone with that mark is as powerful as my Rose..._

* * *

><p>Aki had let their snowball fight continue outdoors, and she felt numb even beneath her cloak. Aside from her cloak, she wasn't really wearing appropriate winter attire, anyway. She heard Yusei sneeze and noted the his cheeks and nose were red. She stood, shaking her head at Yusei with mock severity as his snowball struck her in the side. "Yusei! Come on! Let's go back inside! You're going to catch the pneumonia!"<p>

The child laughed as he spun around on his heels, snow flying everywhere. Aki sighed, trying to force her face into a stern expression as Yusei plopped down in a pile of snow. "What's that?" he asked.

"It means you'll get sick."

"Aki..."

Yusei was pouting, and Aki hated it when he did that. Those large eyes of his looked up at her so beseechingly that Aki knew she'd give in. There wasn't even a point in denying that she'd gotten too soft because of Yusei, and she had a feeling that the little trickster knew it, too. "Yusei, it looks like it's going to start snowing harder," said Aki.

"So?"

"Yusei, I don't want you to get sick."

"I won't!" he declared, smiling brightly.

Aki sighed. "You're really trying my patience, Yusei."

His smile faded abruptly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You...you aren't mad at me, are you?"

Aki blinked slowly. "Mad? No...I'm just concerned. I could never be mad at you," said Aki, walking towards Yusei and ruffling his hair fondly. "You're my wandering star."

He said nothing and merely clasped her hand and pulled her with him back into their hideout. "Are you okay, Yusei?" she asked.

Yusei dashed across the room in a burst of childish energy and sat on the floor. "What if I did something really bad?" he asked. "Would you still like me?"

Aki stared at him uncomprehendingly and then laughed. "Sweetheart, whatever you've done is _nothing _compared to the things I've done."

Yusei bowed his head slightly, his bangs obscuring his eyes. For a brief moment, Aki panicked. _Oh, God. I suck at comforting people. I hope he isn't about to cry._

She'd never seen Yusei cry. Aki had only known him a few months, and she knew little of children. She was pretty sure that young children cried over the littlest things, though. Of course, when had Yusei _ever _been a normal child in her mind? Aki crossed the room and sat beside Yusei. "Do you want to tell me about it?" asked Aki. "I promise I won't be mad."

"Promise?" he asked.

"On my Black Rose Dragon," answered Aki.

Yusei nodded. "Okay. So...I used to live with this gang."

"You _what_?"

"A gang," Yusei repeated.

Aki stared at him with a mixture of surprise and anger. The words 'child', 'Yusei', and 'gang' simply _shouldn't _fit together in a sentence. "They're really nice guys," added Yusei. "Jack, Crow, and Kiryu."

"So why don't you live with them anymore?" asked Aki, steel creeping into her voice.

"You sound angry," said Yusei.

"I'm not angry with you, Yusei."

"They took care of me," said Yusei. "They're my best friends, or were...until I messed it all up."

"How did you mess it up?" Aki asked.

Yusei shook his head. "I don't know," he mumbled, "But I'm the reason they broke up, and Kiyru got arrested."

"But how could you know it was your fault if you don't know what you did?"

"Kiryu told me it was," muttered Yusei.

Aki swallowed around the lump in her throat. She reached over and hugged Yusei. It occurred to her that she didn't remember the last time she'd been hugged, and she half-worried he'd push her away. He didn't, though, and hugged her back. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault," murmured Aki. "Kiryu was probably just mad; people...people say things they don't really mean when they're mad."

Aki thought of her father briefly before forcing the thoughts away. "Y-you think so?" asked Yusei, releasing Aki and staring at her with tear-filled eyes.

_Ah. So there are tears, _thought Aki. _Now what?_

Aki smiled warmly. "I do think that," she said.

Yusei wiped his eyes roughly and smiled brightly. Aki nearly sighed in relief at having some resemblance of her happy Yusei back. "Come on, Yusei, we have snow cream to eat."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Tah-duh! Chapter 3! So I thought I'd clear up the timeline here a bit. This story takes place at the same time as the anime with a few differences. Firstly, Jack is still in Satellite, as is Crow. Yusei's parents actually survived the Zero Reverse and lived in Satellite. Yusei was born about five years afterwards, and his parents died when he was three-ish. Next chapter's the Arcadia Movement. Now on to the review responses!

**kickarora: **Many thanks! I'm going to try to update once a week. I'll see how that goes, though; I'm still out of college for break, so it's easier...we'll see.

**Exleader75: **All the Signers will appear, just in slightly different orders. Jack and Crow, for example, are going to be only in flashbacks for a while, but they'll make it in eventually.

**Hestic: **Thank you! Yusei _had _Stardust. Someone else has it now, but it's probably not who you think.

**RisingGundam2006: **Thanks!

**BrunaMoonLight: **Many thanks!

**azure blue espeon: **Thanks a lot!

**xShiroi-chan: **Thanks! As to how they all got in Satellite, Yusei was born there, Aki went over using her Black Rose Dragon, and Divine used a helicopter. As for sounding like a stalker? Yeah, he kind of is. I'm really expecting him to turn out much creepier in this than he was in the series.

**YugiohObsessed: **Many thanks!


	4. Dead Butterflies

**Disclaimer: I have been informed that I will never get the rights to YGO 5D's. Oh, and apparently, you can't really play a card game on a motorcycle. There goes my hopes and dreams.**

* * *

><p>"<em>That's eight, isn't it? Three, two, three?"<em>

"_Yeah."_

"_So I can Synchro Summon now?" asked Yusei._

"_Sure, kid."_

_Crow leaned over Yusei's shoulder and grinned. "I'm gonna laugh my ass off if you lose to a four-year-old, Kiryu."_

_Kiryu rolled his eyes. Yusei grinned and searched through his extra deck. "Stardust Dragon!" he proclaimed proudly._

"_Wait! Yusei, you have to do the chant thing!" Crow exclaimed. "Everyone does the chant thing!"_

"_The chant thing?" asked Kiryu. _

"_Yeah, Yusei and I came up for one for Stardust," Crow said. "The Synchro Summon chant."_

"_Right!" Yusei said. "The lights come together…and…um, form a…new light! Become the moon that shines in the night! Stardust Dragon!"_

"_Did you think that up, Yusei?" asked Kiryu._

"_Nope! Crow did!"_

_Kiryu raised an eyebrow and tilted his head towards the red-haired duelist. "You have _such _a way with words, Crow."_

"_Well, we'll work on that," Crow said._

"_Yeah, right. You should be ashamed of yourself—giving a wonderful kid like Yusei that terrible chant. Seriously, are you trying to make Yusei laugh his opponents into submission?"_

_Crow rolled his eyes. "I'd like to see you come up with something better," he said._

_Kiryu smiled. "Fine. How about this, Yusei? Clustering hopes will become a new shining star. Become the path its light shines up. Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Kiryu ended the chant with a dramatic flail of his arms, causing Crow to snort and sending Yusei into a fit of giggles._

"_What?" Kiryu asked. "I thought it was good!"_

"_It was," Yusei said. "I liked it."_

"_Better than Mommy Crow's?" asked Kiryu._

"_Yep!"_

_Kiryu grinned. "Ha!"_

"_You're ganging up on me," Crow grumbled._

"_Yeah, it sucks, doesn't it?" asked Kiryu. "Now you know how I felt until you brought Yusei along. But anyway...whose turn is it?"_

"_Yusei's. He Synchroed Stardust."_

"_Right. Nice move, kid," said Kiryu, ruffling Yusei's hair. _

_Crow grinned, and Kiryu met the younger duelist's eyes. "I knew you'd like him!" Crow mouthed over Yusei's shoulder._

"_Shut-up," Kiryu said._

"_I didn't say anything," Yusei replied. _

"_I was talking to Crow."_

_Yusei's voice grew puzzled. "But…Crow didn't say anything."_

_Crow snickered and smiled mischievously. "It's just the voices in Kiryu's head."_

_Yusei's eyes widened. "Crow!" Kiryu shouted._

"_Really?" Yusei asked._

"_Oh, yeah, they're awful," said Crow._

"_Shut-up!" _

"_See?" asked Crow. "They make him all crazy!"_

"_He's just joking, Yusei," Jack said as he entered the hideout. "You're dueling? Who's winning?"_

"_Kiryu," Crow said._

_Yusei nodded. "He has…twelve-hundred, and I have five-hundred. Is that right?" Yusei asked._

"_Sure is," Kiryu replied. "You're giving me a run for my money. Now come on; let's ignore bird-brain and the princess over there and finish our duel."_

_Both bird-brain Crow and princess Jack voiced their protests. "I hope he absolutely crushes you!" Crow exclaimed. _

_Yusei laughed. "Okay. Stardust Dragon, shooting sonic!"_

* * *

><p>"What are those?" asked Yusei, pointing at the colorful, flying things in the glass cases along the wall.<p>

"Butterflies," said Aki. "You've never seen one before?"

He shook his head. "Well, they're…bugs," said Aki. "They eat the pollen out of flowers."

"So they're alive?"

"Well, not anymore," Aki replied.

Yusei's big blue eyes gazed at the butterflies. "So…they're dead in those cases?" he asked.

"Yes."

"So someone killed them to put them in there? Why would someone do that? They're so beautiful…"

"Oh, I don't know, Yusei. I mean, people do it…"

"But they're living!" Yusei protested.

Yusei turned his gaze to Aki, who eyed him uncertainly. "I don't really know what to say, sweetheart. I mean, maybe you ought to ask Divine?"

Yusei decided he would. The moment the door opened and he saw Divine, he blurted out, "Why did you kill those butterflies?"

Divine stared at him for a moment before smiling warmly. "Ah. Those. I rather like them. They're beautiful, but they're so short-lived. I wanted to keep some of that beauty year-round."

"But you killed them!"

"I _bought _them already dead," Divine replied. "They were already dead, and my not buying them wouldn't change that."

"Would you do that to a person?" Yusei asked.

Divine gave Yusei an odd look, almost like he'd never before had to deal with a child. "They're just bugs, Yusei," murmured Aki. "You don't need to get so upset."

Yusei glanced at the butterflies again. "I didn't mean to upset you, Yusei," said Divine softly. "I'm sorry."

Yusei nodded and glanced towards Aki, who smiled gently. "It's okay, Yusei. Come sit beside me."

Yusei bit his lip, glancing uncertainly towards Divine, before hopping up into the chair beside Aki. It was surprisingly plushy, and he nearly sank down into it. Divine sat across from them behind his desk, and Yusei couldn't control the impulse to stare at the butterflies behind the man. "Aki and Yusei, I just want to say that I am pleased you have accepted my invitation into Arcadia."

"We are _considering _your invitation," Aki cut in. "I've learned that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is—with the possible exception of Yusei, here."

Aki offered Yusei a bright smile, and he grinned crookedly in return, the butterflies momentarily forgotten. "I understand," Divine said, "But I can assure you that Arcadia is legitimate. I founded it with the sole purpose of helping young psychics recognize their potential. My staff is able to create specialized programs to suit every type of psychic power, and the campus contains expansive grounds, which are accessible to students. I did notice you looking at the rose gardens, Aki. Did you like them?"

"Yes, they were nice."

Divine smiled. "The largest rose gardens in the country. Feel free to walk through them after our meeting is done."

Aki nodded. "Now...we do need to have a testing of your powers. Psychic powers often manifest under stress, so the simplest way to unlock or activate those powers is in a duel. If you and Yusei-"

"No, absolutely not," Aki said.

Divine frowned. "No?" he asked.

Yusei glanced from Divine to Aki, who'd stood and stared at Divine with fury in her eyes. "No. The only duels Yusei and I have had didn't involve duel disks. I won't duel him with one."

"Aki-"

"Aki, you wouldn't hurt me," said Yusei. "I've even felt Black Rose Dragon! She wouldn't hurt me."

"That wasn't a duel, Yusei," said Aki, turning her large, brown eyes towards him. "If I duel you, I will hurt you, and I don't want that."

"But we've never dueled. I think you could control it."

"Please, don't argue with me, Yusei," said Aki, slowly sitting in her chair again. "Please, sweetheart?"

"Okay," Yusei murmured.

"That's my wandering star—always thinking I'm better than I am."

Yusei was about to tell Aki that she was his best friend and every bit as wonderful as Yusei thought she was when Divine interrupted, "Aki, I understand, and if you don't want to duel Yusei, that's fine. We can wait for his powers to emerge naturally. It may take a little longer, but it will happen."

"Thank you," Aki said.

"You're more than welcome, Aki. If you like, you can duel me; I do want to see what you can do."

"That would be fine," she said.

Divine smiled. "Very good. As for you, Yusei, I have someone I'd like you to meet."

The man picked up his phone and said, "Send Rua in, please."

Within a few minutes, a teal-haired boy walked in the door. "New students?" he asked.

"Yes," Divine said. "Yusei, this is Rua. Rua, this is Yusei."

Rua's strange, silver-gold eyes widened, and he grinned brightly. "Hello, Yusei! Finally, there's someone younger than me around here! Yes!"

"Rua, why don't you show Yusei around?" Divine asked.

"Yeah, okay! What do you say, Yusei?"

Yusei hesitated, glancing towards Aki. The teenager turned to look at him, and her gaze softened. "I'll meet up with you later, right, Yusei? Feel free to go. Divine and I are just going to duel; it'll probably be very boring."

"Yeah, okay," said Yusei, slipping out of his chair and joining Rua.

Rua's smile grew wider as he opened the door dramatically. "Come on, Yusei! You'll love it here!"

* * *

><p>The dueling arenas weren't in the main building. You had to walk through the rose gardens to get to them, not that Aki minded. Spring had just begun, so there were few flowers actually blooming, but already butterflies were flocking to the gardens. Aki smiled as a bright yellow swallowtail landed on her finger. "Marvelous creatures, aren't they?" asked Divine, waiting for her and tolerating her frequent delays with endless patience.<p>

"Yes," she said.

"I wanted to be a lepidopterist; that's someone who studies butterflies. In college, though, I witnessed a fellow psychic struggling with her powers. She made a huge impression on me, and afterwords, I founded Arcadia."

"You're a psychic duelist, too?"

"I am, and I know what it's like to hurt people you care about. I understand why you're so protective of Yusei."

"He's a child. Children should be protected," said Aki, her eyes narrowing.

"I agree. But just how powerful are you? Do you have to have your cards on the duel disk to work?"

"Not if I'm upset," said Aki, turning her gaze back to the butterfly on her finger. "Or angry. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes...sometimes, things just happen. Yusei doesn't know just how bad it is."

Divine nodded. "I promise, Aki, that I will help you however I can."

The butterfly fluttered off Aki's finger, and she smiled sadly. "If you can."

* * *

><p>For a six-year-old child, Yusei Fudo was very observant, and he couldn't help but feel like Rua was acting strange. Every time Yusei looked at him, he was smiling, but it felt more like he was <em>trying <em>to act happy. Rua kept looking over his shoulder, too, and he was acting awfully jumpy. Yusei didn't know why he was doing it, and he couldn't legitimately explain why he felt like he did. Something about Rua was off, though. They walked down the hallway, Rua chattering and Yusei listening. "Rua, what's bothering you?" Yusei asked.

Rua stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I don't know," Yusei replied, shrugging a little. "There's something weird about you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh. Okay."

Abruptly, Rua stopped talking and sighed. "I can't do this."

"Do what?"

Rua's eyes were pained as he looked at Yusei, who took a step back, fully ready to run and scream if the older boy tried anything. "Did you just get here, Yusei?" asked Rua.

"Yeah."

Rua took a deep breath and whispered, "Leave. Get out of here."

"What?"

"Divine is messing with peoples' heads," Rua whispered. "He said...he said if I wasn't your friend, he'd hurt my sister. I...I love her _so much_, but you're...she's already..."

"Rua," said Yusei. "I don't get it."

"Just keep walking with me, and I'll tell you," said Rua. "We have to be careful; they might be watching."

"Okay."

Rua kept his voice lowered as he spoke, "My sister came here. She's been acting strange. I saw her yesterday, and she looked at me like she didn't even know me. And they...they do things to you. It hurts."

Yusei's eyes widened. "Aki! I have to help her!"

He turned to run when Rua grabbed his arm and shook his head. "No, don't. You can't! You have to be sneaky! If you just run out to her, you'll get caught, and they'll put you in a cage!"

"_What_?"

Rua hesitated as Yusei twisted around to stare at him. "They do," the boy said. "It's even worse if it turns out you're not special. They don't kill you; they just keep you here for practice."

"Practice?"

Rua winced. "Yeah, and...there's more. I don't know...there's stuff I don't understand."

Yusei swallowed thickly, quietly trying to make sense of the strange boy's words. He sounded honest and desperate. And why would he make something like that up? "We'll save everyone," Yusei said firmly. "We can definitely do it."

* * *

><p>"<em>What the hell, Kiryu? That was a kid!"<em>

"_And kids grow up, Crow! They need to be taught who's in charge early!"_

_Crow growled, struggling against Jack Atlas, who stood between the two fighting teenagers. "You're crazy!" the duelist snapped, trying to punch around Jack. "Absolutely out of your mind!"_

"_No! You don't get it! It makes sense!"_

"_That was a kid! What were you thinking? A kid! What if that had been one of us a few years ago? What if that kid had been Yusei?"_

"_That damn brat has made you soft, Crow! Jack will agree with me!"_

"_Enough," Jack said, being uncharacteristically quiet. "Kiryu, you need to cool down. You're acting crazy."_

"_I'm not crazy! I'm not! Why are you both arguing against me? Don't you see the potential?"_

"_I'm leaving," said Crow. _

_The duelist walked away. "Crow! Jack! You're leaving? You're betraying me! Go to hell!"_

"_What are you going to do?" asked Jack, joining in step with Crow._

_The red-haired duelist took a deep breath. "I'm going back to the hideout."_

"_To leave?"_

"_I don't know. Probably. Kiryu has to quit with these delusions he's having. If I'm leaving, I'm taking Yusei with me. I'm not leaving him with Kiryu."_

"_He's right; you know. That kid has made you soft."_

_Crow's eyes narrowed. "I don't care."_

"_I didn't say it was a bad thing," replied Jack. "It was just an observation."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And the next chapter! I'll be honest, I put this off, and then I looked at the date, realized I hadn't updated in a week and freaked out. Not much happened this chapter; it's sort of just setting things up for the other chapters. I have, like, nothing to say about this chapter, so I'll talk about next chapter! More brainwashing, Divine being creepy, Yusei and Rua snooping around, a Ruka flashback, Divine trying to figure out about the Signers, and Jack and Carly come in! Oh, and as a random note: everyone is the same as their canon age, except for Yusei, who's (obviously) much younger. Except, for like, the flashbacks.

**Azure blue espeon**: Yep. Yusei is going to spend the whole story as a little kid. Depending on how far I decide to go with it, the oldest he'll probably get is ten or so. As for Rua and Ruka, they're twelve.

**Exleader75: **The twins are twelve. As for Jack and Crow, they are thirteen and eleven years older than Yusei, respectively. In the flashback, they were fifteen and thirteen, so no, they're not the same age as Yusei. I'm just still trying to get the hang of writing kids. ;)

**Xshiroi-chan: **Firstly, thank you so much for the review! I always appreciate those. As for your comments, I haven't really went into the entire Team Satisfaction break-up and all the stuff that went into it, but Kiryu doesn't really hate Yusei. As far as that all goes, Aki is actually closer to the truth (when she says that people say things they don't mean when they're mad) than Yusei (who is really just being too hard on himself) is. I totally agree about Stardust; that card will always belong to Yusei, and that's actually a plot point later on. Actually, it's two plot points.

Oh, and yes, Yusei knows his parents are dead. Crow and Kiryu explained it to him. Jack tried to help, but he's not very good at the whole comforting thing.

**Hestic: **Seriously! Sub!Yusei has it rough in the facility! I originally watched the dub, and the first time I saw the subbed Japanese, I swear, I just sort of stared at the screen in shock. Poor kid.

**BrunaMoonLight: **Yeah, Yusei and Rua aren't going to have much fun at the Arcadia Movement. Like you said, Yusei can perform the Accel Synchro, but he doesn't know how to ride a D-Wheel yet, so it's kind of a useless ability. I'm probably going to play around with the 'Clear Mind' thing a bit, though, so Yusei will probably end up with some small ability, but it won't be anything really big like Aki's psychic dueling.

**TheRoseShadow21: **Thanks! :)


	5. Different Plans

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.**

* * *

><p><em>After Crow was marked, Yusei began to notice subtle changes in the duelist. He'd looked to Jack and Kiryu to see if they acted any differently, but they were harder to read than Crow. One day, Crow returned to Team Satisfaction's hideout, and Yusei couldn't help but think there was something off in his smile. "Hey, Yusei," said Crow. "I brought you a present."<em>

_Yusei perked up at that. A present? Crow seldom brought Yusei presents because in Satellite, there really wasn't time or money for presents. Still, Yusei did like getting presents. When Crow handed him a pair of too-long, old gloves Yusei blinked in surprise. "It isn't winter," Yusei said._

"_I know," said Crow. "You should always wear gloves, though, okay, Yusei?"_

"_Why?"_

_Crow winked at him and grinned. "You don't leave fingerprints that way."_

"_Oh."_

_Yusei didn't quite understand that, but he did what Crow wanted and put on the gloves. _

* * *

><p>"Jack Atlas, what do you know about Stardust Dragon?"<p>

"Stardust Dragon?" asked Jack.

"Yes."

Rex Godwin smiled. Everything about the man was polished and refined, yet nothing about him screamed honesty or nobility; there was something sly about Rex Godwin. Jack had accepted the man's invitation to become duel king (and he'd succeeded, of course), but that didn't mean Jack really trusted him. "I don't own it, if that's what you mean."

"Do you know who does?"

Jack frowned, his violet eyes narrowing. "Maybe, maybe not. Why is that card so important?"

"Don't play games with me, Jack. I know that you know who has it."

"And you don't know. I see where this is going."

"I want that card."

"I'm sure lots of people would," said Jack. "It's very rare."

"The only one in existence. Rather like your ace monster."

"Mm."

Rex Godwin straightened in the chair he was sitting in. "Jack, I want to know who owns that card."

"Let me think," said Jack. "Maybe I can remember."

Of course, Jack knew exactly who owned that card. Jack Atlas was rarely considered smart, but it was nearly impossible to look smart standing by master tactician Kiryu and D-Wheel builder Crow. Jack wasn't dumb, but he'd learned early on that it gave you an advantage if people didn't know exactly how smart you were. "I do remember," Jack said, smiling, "But I don't know why I ought to tell you."

The Director's eyes narrowed. "You don't have a choice, Jack; if you do, I won't hesitate to tell the public exactly where you're from."

"You could do that," said Jack, "But you won't. You need me for something, don't you? You need me, and you need Stardust Dragon, or her owner. Maybe both."

"Jack, I know that you found that card. It belonged to the man whose duel disk you're using. If you don't have it, who does?"

"Again. Why should I tell you?"

The Director sighed. "Jack, you're not in Satellite anymore. You don't owe those people any loyalty."

Jack had left them for glory, maybe even betrayed them, but Jack wasn't completely heartless. Something about the Director was untrustworthy, and Jack, for all his flaws, deep down did care for his friends. It simply wouldn't be fair for him to take Crow's kid from him. Mind made up, Jack leaned forward and said, "Let me talk to Crow Hogan. He knew the guy better than I did. We might be able to think of something together."

For a long moment, the Director stared at him. "Another Satellite?" he asked.

Jack nodded. "Fine. I'll let you have your way, Jack. For now."

Jack smirked. "Of course you will. I'm the king, after all."

* * *

><p>Ruka sat in the rose gardens, watching the butterflies fly through the bright, blue sky. Ancient Fairy Dragon wove through the butterflies, elegant and beautiful. Ruka watched, a smile on her face. For once, she was in total control of the wayward spirits. They hadn't always been like that, though, had they? Hadn't they been gentle once? Ruka's head hurt. No, that couldn't be right. The spirits had always been vicious. Frowning, Ruka put a hand to her head and sighed.<p>

A butterfly fluttered around the girl, and she held out her hand to let if land there. It was bright yellow, and it reminded her of something. She couldn't quite remember. Ancient Fairy Dragon halted in the air, hovering over Ruka. "Is someone there?" the girl asked.

A strange, orange and silver hedgehog scampered from the bushes. Ruka smiled and laughed. "Oh, you're so cute!"

The bushes rustled, and Ruka smiled at the dark-haired kid that walked into view. "Oh, is he yours?" she asked.

"Yeah, Quillbolt Hedgehog."

Another kid walked into view, and Ruka immediately noted that she'd seen him before. In fact, he looked just like her. Ruka tried in vain to think of his name, but her head hurt so much that thinking was nearly impossible. She winced, gave up, and the headache stopped. Ruka could see the duel spirits gathered around them, but something wasn't quite right. "Someone's missing," she said.

The dark-haired kid blinked slowly. "What?"

"Around you. There's a monster missing. You've lost a monster."

"Oh, yeah. Stardust."

Ruka closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I can feel your connection with it."

"Um...her," he said. "I always thought of Stardust as a 'she'."

Ruka opened her eyes and smiled. Her gaze drifted to the other boy, and his name came to her lips suddenly. "Rua. I haven't seen you in a while."

Rua smiled hesitantly. "Yeah. How are you doing, Ruka?"

"Quite well," she replied. "Your monsters love you very much, Rua."

"You can see them, too?" asked the dark-haired kid.

"_You _can see them?" asked Ruka.

"If I try really hard. There's a dragon over your shoulder."

Ruka smiled. "Ancient Fairy Dragon."

"You can see them, Yusei?" asked Rua. "That's so not fair."

The kid, presumably 'Yusei', nodded. "I can't feel what they're feeling, but yeah, I can see them."

Rua suddenly flailed his arms, and Ruka stared at him in bewilderment. He laughed, and sounding embarrassed, said, "A butterfly tried to land on me. I...um, I always heard that if that happens, it means someone near you is going to die."

Yusei's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Oh, Rua, don't be ridiculous! You're going to scare Yusei!"

Pain flared in Ruka's head, and she bent over, hissing in pain. Rua leaned over her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Ruka? Ruka, what's wrong?"

"Ow," she mumbled.

"Rua, get away," cut in Yusei, his voice calm.

"Yusei, she's my sister!"

"I know that, but Ancient Fairy Dragon doesn't seem to care."

Rua backed away, and Ruka jerked her head up. The dragon twisted in the air, screaming and roaring in fury. "Ruka, what's wrong?" asked Yusei.

"I...I don't..."

Ruka felt tears burn in her eyes. "I...can't...I can't think!"

"Ruka, did Divine do something to you?" asked Yusei.

Ruka met his intense, blue eyes and shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. Divine would never do anything to hurt me!"

The pain in her head was worse, and Ruka stumbled up, feeling dizzy. Rua caught her arm, and Ruka jerked back. "Go away! Both of you!"

"Ruka, please," Rua whispered.

She turned and ran. "Ruka!" Rua shouted.

She ran until her chest and side hurt before collapsing to the ground and sobbing. Swallowing thickly, Ruka stared at the ground and dug her nails into the earth. _How did I end up here?_

* * *

><p>Divine watched as Aki faced down her opponent, another psychic duelist. Their duel was being shown on several monitors, while scientists raced around, checking energy levels and statistics. "She's phenomenal," one of them said, a note of awe in his voice.<p>

Divine smirked. "Yes, she is."

The mark on her arm glowed suddenly, and Aki paused in her attack to clench her forearm. "Now that bothers me," said Divine. Turning to a researcher, he added, "Find out what that is. I want to know."

"Yes, Master Divine."

Aki's hesitance didn't last long before she resumed the duel, easily defeating her opponent. She practically ran from the room, and Divine ran to join her in the hallway. "Aki, what's wrong?"

"Yusei," she said. "Where is he?"

Divine raised an eyebrow. "Yusei?"

"My friend!" Aki growled. "Where is he?"

"Still touring the grounds, I believe. Why do you ask?"

"He needs me. I can feel it."

"I can assure you, Aki, that there's nothing-"

"I want to see him _now_."

Divine blinked slowly at her. "Aki, I'm sure he's fine. You're probably just anxious because you've been taking care of him, and you're in a strange place."

Aki shook her head, eyes narrowed. "No, something has him all worked up, and I want to know what that is. There's no reason that I can't go see."

"No, but Aki, this fear is totally irrational. Think logically about this. How do you know he's in danger?"

Aki scowled and held up her arm, the crimson mark glowing brightly. "It hurts, and that means something. Where's Yusei?"

"On the grounds," relented Divine. "Somewhere."

"You have security cameras don't you? I want to know where he is."

Divine nodded slowly, knowing he had to stall. "Aki, let's go to my office," he said. "We can check the camera and find him easily if you really think he's in danger."

"Then, let's go," she said.

Divine led the way. His Rose was still far too worried about that kid. Divine made a mental note to test his powers later, as he still hadn't had the opportunity to do that. There really wasn't a need to hurry, though. His Rose and the Satellite brat had only been in Arcadia a day. No, really he needed just to wait for everything to fall into place. "What is that mark, Aki?" he asked.

"A curse," she said.

Divine raised an eyebrow. A curse? "You mean Yusei?" asked Divine. "Having to take care of him is a curse?"

"I said the _mark _was a curse. Yusei's the one good thing that came out of this."

Her voice had risen in volume, and Divine didn't need to look at her to know that his words had just infuriated her. "He means a lot to you," said Divine.

Aki said nothing. "If he wasn't cursed like you, would he still mean that much?"

"Yes."

Divine nodded distractedly. They were nearing his office, and his rose didn't seem to understand that in Arcadia everyone answered to Divine. There was no room for any other loyalties, and he made care to ensure there weren't any. He mentally considered his options. He could let his rose grow some before clipping her thorns, or he could nip any problems in the bud.

Divine opened the door for Aki, and she entered the office, her eyes on him as he strode to his desk and opened his laptop. "I'm sure you'll find that he's fine."

He opened the security cameras and clicked on the monitor of Yusei and Rua walking through the gardens. "See? He's fine."

Divine spun the computer around and watched as Aki's eyes narrowed. She put a hand to her forearm. "No, he isn't," she said. "He's holding his arm, too. What is this?"

"Has this happened before?" asked Divine softly.

"Once or twice," said Aki. "With Yusei. I thought it happened when he was in danger..."

"He's clearly safe, Aki. See? You were worried for no reason."

She nodded vaguely, and in that simple motion he finally noted a distinct vulnerability in her. "Aki, no one is going to hurt your wandering star," he said gently, using the pet name he'd heard her use before.

"I..."

"You don't trust me; I know that, Aki. Adults have never been kind to you, have they? I promise that you can trust me. You and Yusei are safe here."

Aki's eyes met his. "I just..."

"I know," said Divine.

Aki looked towards the computer screen again. "There's something between me and him," she said. "A bond."

Divine nodded while subtly reaching for his duel disk beneath the desk. He had the right card right on top, and Aki would never know what happened.

* * *

><p><em>There was fire everywhere as the gods fought. Micay gasped for breath as she hid behind a pile of rubble. Screams rent the night air. Blood was everywhere, and everything seemed to be red. A flash of movement caught her eye, and she jumped on impulse, expecting one of the gods to leap forward and destroy her. No such god appeared.<em>

_It was a boy, barely older than she, who crouched on the ground beside her. He glanced towards her and nodded slightly, seemingly just to acknowledge her appearance. The ground shook, and Micay froze. One of the gods was approaching. She swallowed, unable to move, seemingly frozen. A voice spoke, breaking through her daze. "I call for your aid in the darkest, empty night. May your light pierce the shadows of evil and protect us. I summon you, guardian of the stars!"_

_Light blossomed from behind her, and Micay gasped as she whirled around and saw the large, shimmering creature. Her eyes turned to the boy beside her, who was standing, seemingly unsurprised by the appearance of a giant god behind him. "You summoned a _god_?" she asked without thinking._

"_Yes," he replied, in a tone that suggested he summoned gods every day._

_A high, hawk-like voice sounded next. "I call for your aid, oh, splendid earth! Come forth and protect your land, so we may honor you forevermore! Guardian of the flowers!"_

_The ground shook, and a scarlet god emerged with a roar. Others joined them, and Micay watched as their gods rose and appeared. The boy beside her stood and raised his arm. "Go forth, guardian of the stars!"_

_The white, shimmering god flew into the sky, which was suddenly bathed in crimson, to face the other, darker gods. "Go forth, guardian of the night!"_

"_Go forth, guardian of the flowers!"_

"_Go forth, guardian of the spirits!"_

"_Go forth, guardian of the sun!"_

_The gods rose into the air, and Micay watched with growing terror as more chaos rained around them. So many were dying around them, while the gods waged war in the skies above. How could they do such a thing while she and her family worshiped them, sacrificed to them, and feared them? How could they destroy so many lives and people without care? Micay swore then that she would forever wage war against those gods._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Hey, guys, I know I promised Carly this chapter, but she's going to wait a bit. She'll be in soon, though; she's vital to the plot. Also, I know you're all wondering, 'Whoa! What's up with the weird, pointless flashbacks? Are those even important?' to which I answer 'Yes, they are—especially the first.' So next chapter. I clear up part of the Stardust mystery. Aki gets to knock Divine through a window. Yusei and Rua team up to try and figure out what's going on. And Jack gets to talk with Crow again.

**BrunaMoonLight: **Thanks! Well, I'm probably going to cover part of the Stardust mystery next chapter, actually. I already answered your question about Jack, but he's also going to be in the next couple of chapters. So there's that.

**Hestic: **Yeah, Jack and Crow aren't going to be very happy with Divine. I actually have that all planned out, and I can't wait to write it (for some reason, Jack and Crow beating up Divine is just really awesome; make of that what you will).

**Azure blue espeon: **Pretty much.

**HappyFestus: **Yeah, there's going to be more of that. And I will most certainly try to avoid bats while driving.

**TheRoseShadow21: **Yeah, well, anyway, I was trying to make Divine way creepier, but I don't think his full creepiness is going to hit for a couple more chapters.

**Exleader75: **Well, on the Ruka brainwashing thing, she's not really brainwashed as she has forgotten that certain parts of her life exist. I'm not going to explain it all just yet, but really Divine has already secretly messed with everyone's head (the only exceptions being Rua and Yusei, and there's a reason for that, too). On the Yusei summoning Stardust, he does get to do it, but it won't be until after the Fortune Cup and moving into the Dark Signers. But he does get it back.

**Xshiroi-chan: **Firstly, thank you for the comment and for the Yusei plush; I've wanted one for ages but been unable to have one due to my sub-par sewing skills. I promise I'm explaining Stardust soon! Next chapter (well, part of it, anyway...). And yeah, I imagine that if Jack told Yusei his parents were dead, it'd be something like, 'Suck it up, kid!' and then, a manly punch or something. And as for pairings, no pairings in this one other than what canon hints at. And there's actually going to be less YuseixAki (for obvious reasons).

**Mayuko-chan: **Well, this is a pretty quick update for you! (I doubt it's as quick for everyone else, though...). Anyway, thanks for the comment. As for Aki, sadly, she doesn't get to punch Divine any time soon. I am going to have her knock him through a glass window, though, soon, so hey, that's something.


End file.
